Set on Prince Edward Island (an LM Montgomery trademark) “Kilmeny of the Orchard” is the story of Eric Marshall, a young man who comes to the village of Lindsay to work as a substitute school teacher. Walking in the orchards one day, he hears the beautiful sound of violin music, and follows the sound until he reaches the source, a young woman with jet black hair and graceful arms who plays the instrument as though it was made for her. He stands and watches her for several minutes, but then she sees him and runs away, leaving him wondering who she is and why she felt the need to leave. Had he frightened her in some way?
As she ran, she left behind the violin bow, and Eric picked it up and laid it on the bench where she had been sitting, thinking she most likely would come back looking for it. As he walked home, he thought about who she might possibly be. The locals had been chatting to him about all the young women in the area, probably in the hopes that he’d marry one of them, but none of the girls mentioned seemed to match the description of the girl in the orchard. He went back later to see if the bow was still there, and just as he had thought, it had been claimed.
When he did find out who she was – Kilmeny Gordon – he sought her out, wanting to get to know her better, but found that she could only communicate through writing on a slate she carried at her side. She was mute, and had been her whole life. She had a beautiful way with words and Eric was entranced by the things she wrote, but he longed to have a real conversation with her without having to rely on a piece of slate to do his wooing for him.
Time goes by and he’s convinced that she’s the girl he wants to marry. She refuses, however, feeling that with her handicap, she couldn’t make him a proper wife. Until one day, when a miracle occurs that changes everything for both of them.
(This book was first published in 1910 by L.C. Page Corporation.)
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